You’ve decided to eat carnivores to lose weight. After a week in, you’re feeling good. But then, a nagging question pops into your head. How many calories am I eating? The answer is simple: count macros. What are macros and micros? Macros, short for macronutrients, are the nutrients that provide your body with energy. They are proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Micros, short for micronutrients, are vitamins and minerals that support vital bodily functions.
The carnivore diet is high in protein and fat while eliminating carbohydrates. Focusing on carnivore macros for weight loss can help you count calories faster to reach your goals. This guide will help you understand the role of macros on the carnivore diet and how to track them effectively. Another way to simplify tracking macros is with AI tools like DietAI's AI calorie counter. This tool accurately estimates your daily calorie and macro needs based on your personal goals to help you track your nutrition accurately and reach your goals faster.
Table of Contents
What is a Carnivore Diet?
The carnivore diet centers on eating only animal foods. If it comes from an animal, you can eat it on the carnivore diet. You can eat meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy products (preferably low-lactose, like butter and hard cheese). You must avoid all plant foods, which rules out vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. That’s why the carnivore diet is sometimes called the zero-carb diet.
The carnivore diet is a type of keto, or ketogenic, diet. Keto diets work like this: The contents of a keto diet do not provide enough calories from glucose and other forms of sugar. The body burns fat to compensate, creating ketones as an energy source. Ketones are released into the bloodstream, lowering the normal acid-base balance in blood to make it more acidic, known as ketosis. A typical keto diet plan suggests approximately 70% to 75% of daily calories come from fat, 20% from protein, and no more than 10% from carbohydrates. A carnivorous diet is the most ketogenic because it allows for almost no carbs. Fat content is not specified; it’s whatever is contained in or consumed along with the meat, fish, poultry, and dairy.
What Are the Risks of the Carnivore Diet?
While some keto diets can emphasize the intake of healthier mono and polyunsaturated fats, that’s not the case with carnivorous diets. Animal fat is primarily saturated fat, the unhealthiest type because it raises LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. The disadvantage of all keto diets is that they tend to raise LDL cholesterol levels in both the short and long term. Other longer-term concerns about keto diets, especially the carnivore diet, include the increased risk of kidney stones, gout, and osteoporosis. Also, the high protein intake associated with the carnivore diet can impair kidney function. Because keto diets induce the body to burn fat, they can jump-start a weight-loss program. However, I would never recommend a carnivorous diet for this purpose.
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How to Follow the Carnivore Diet for Weight Loss
1. Use DietAI for Macros and Caloric Tracking
DietAI transforms calorie counting with our AI calorie counting app. Take a picture of your food, and our app instantly analyzes your meals from a simple photo, delivering accurate calorie and macro information without manual logging. Beyond photo recognition, the app provides comprehensive progress tracking, personalized nutrition insights tailored to your goals, and convenient barcode scanning for packaged foods. Whether you are trying to lose weight, gain muscle, or simply maintain a balanced diet, DietAI makes nutrition tracking effortless by eliminating the tedious aspects of traditional food journaling. Download now to effortlessly track your calories and macros with DietAI, the AI-powered app that makes logging meals as simple as snapping a photo. Download today for 80% off!
2. Get into a Caloric Deficit for Fat Loss
Part of what makes a carnivorous diet for weight loss unique is that you technically don’t need to count calories. You can eat intuitively and listen to your body’s hunger signals. But a caloric deficit is essential to eliminate guesswork and ensure you’re setting the foundation for consistent, sustainable weight loss. As mentioned earlier, this ultimately forces your body to burn fat for fuel. Find out your baseline caloric needs to maintain your body weight and subtract anywhere from 200-500, depending on how aggressive you want to be. Remember that at a certain point, you’re forcing your body to burn fat and lean muscle mass by starving yourself. Don’t get carried away.
3. Prioritize Fat-Protein Balance for Carnivore Weight Loss
The right balance of fat and protein can make or break your carnivore diet weight loss results. There’s a fine line between supporting fat loss and zapping your energy. Too much protein without enough fat can leave you feeling low-energy, as your body struggles to transition to burning fat for fuel. So, how many grams of fat on a carnivorous diet should you aim for? We’ve found that a 1:1 ratio of fat to protein works well. So if you’re eating 2,000 calories daily, you’d consume 111 grams of protein and 111 grams of carbs. Simple as that. You can adjust based on how your body responds after a few weeks. For instance, some lean more heavily toward fat to avoid feeling sluggish or mentally fatigued, following a 60/40 or 70/30 split instead.
4. Healthy Snacks for Managing Cravings
You’ll likely experience far fewer cravings when doing the carnivore diet for weight loss, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need healthy snacks on hand just in case. These will be a lifesaver when you’re on the go, too. Unfortunately, there aren’t many options at your disposal. Boiled eggs and beef jerky are bland. The good news is your new favorite snacks are just a few clicks away - our world-renowned meat chips.
These are made from just two ingredients: meat and salt. That’s it. They’re also sourced from the country's most elite, ethical regenerative farms, so you can feel good about spoiling yourself. Our carnivore chips have been called “meat pastries” because they start with a delightful crunch before melting in your mouth and giving way to tantalizing flavors. There are plenty of varieties to choose from, too:
Ribeye chips
Steak chips
Lamb chips
Beef chips
Brisket chips
Chicken chips
Pork chips
Shop today and set yourself up for success at Carnivore Snax.
5. Incorporate Intermittent Fasting
A more advanced weight loss strategy is fasting, which involves a short, specified eating window throughout the day. During the fasted state, you consume zero calories, accelerating your body’s fat-burning process. Start with a simple 16:8 approach (16 hours of fasting, 8 hours of eating window). You can eat only from 12 PM to 8 PM. Slowly increase your fasted state over time, eventually working towards a 20-hour fast. We have a more detailed resource on the carnivore diet and intermittent fasting if you’re interested.
6. Regular Exercise
The other half of a caloric deficit is burning more calories, which allows you to eat more while remaining in the deficit. Regular exercise also boosts your metabolism for more efficient fat burning and has many other physical and mental benefits. You should do cardio exercises 3-5 times a week, such as walking, jogging, biking, swimming, or even playing a sport. You should also engage in strength training to preserve your muscle mass while supporting fat loss.
7. Track Your Progress
Before you make any dietary changes, you should take progress pictures and record your body measurements and starting weight. This will serve as your baseline and help you gauge your progress over time. Don’t fall into the vicious cycle of checking the scale every day. Instead, do weight check-ins weekly or even biweekly. This will prevent you from becoming discouraged by slow progress. Reflect on non-weight-specific progress, such as better energy, comfortable-fitting clothes, compliments from loved ones, and exercise-specific milestones. While a carnivorous weight-loss diet is consequential, what matters most is how you feel. Even if the scale isn’t moving as quickly as you’d like, starting carnivore is a change for the better!
What Should Your Carnivore Macros for Weight Loss Be
What Are the Macros on a Carnivore Diet?
A Carnivore diet is high in fat, high in protein, and very low in carbs. In other words, Carnivore macros align with high-protein Keto macros. The Carnivore diet macros ratio is about 50 to 75 percent fat, 20 to 35 percent protein, and 0 to 5 percent carbs. To hit these macros, prioritize fatty cuts of meat (chuck, ribeye, chicken thigh), fatty fish (salmon, sardines, anchovies), and eggs.
The good news is that you needn’t sweat carb limits on Carnivore. Beyond honey, animal products don’t have them. The less-than-optimal news? We don’t fully understand the long-term effects of meat-only diets. Will restricting fiber and other phytonutrients hurt you down the road? It might. It might also make attending weddings a challenge. Hey Ethel, where’s the dang carnivore option on this RSVP? Even so, it’s clear Carnivore has helped many people.
Benefits of Carnivore Macros
Lowering Blood Sugar Levels: A Potential Benefit of Carnivore Macros
The carnivore diet might lower your blood sugar levels. Following this diet may be beneficial for individuals with diabetes or hyperglycemia, which is high blood sugar. This diet may help lower blood sugar because it is low in carbohydrates. Some research indicates that low-carb or zero-carb diets may help with blood sugar maintenance, especially in those with type 2 diabetes. Carbohydrates have the most significant impact on blood sugar compared to other macronutrients. This is why low-carb diets, like the carnivore diet, are thought to lower overall blood sugar. However, more research is needed to understand the long-term effects of a low-carb, animal-based diet.
Improving Insulin Resistance: Could Carnivore Macros Help?
The carnivore diet may also help improve insulin resistance, a condition in which your body's cells do not appropriately respond to the hormone insulin. Insulin helps move sugar into your cells. While there isn't solid evidence that the carnivore diet improves insulin resistance, some evidence supports low-carb diets. One study found that restricting carbohydrates may increase specific proteins in your blood that promote insulin sensitivity. When cells are sensitive to insulin, they are less likely to be resistant to insulin and can use sugar to make energy as needed. However, some researchers have found that low-carb diets may worsen insulin resistance in healthy adults. Therefore, caution should be taken when following the carnivore or other low-carb diets.
Protein Power: Meeting Your Needs on the Carnivore Diet
The carnivore diet is naturally high in protein, an animal-based macronutrient your body needs for structure and many functions. Proteins can also act as enzymes and antibodies. The general recommendation for protein intake is 0.8 grams (g) per kilogram (kg) of body weight per day. However, protein needs may be higher for athletes, older adults, and people with certain medical conditions. Animal-based foods are an excellent source of protein, so it’s generally easy to meet protein needs while on the carnivore diet. However, too much protein in your diet may be harmful. A diet with excessive protein that is low in other nutrients may lead to kidney damage, poor bone health, and other issues.
Weight Loss: Can Carnivore Macros Help You Slim Down?
Like some other high-protein diets, the carnivore diet may help lose weight. According to one review, eating more protein than is typically recommended has been shown to facilitate weight loss. Some long-term clinical trials have also shown that a high-protein diet may help prevent you from regaining the lost weight. A high-protein diet may decrease ghrelin levels, a hormone that causes you to feel hungry. Therefore, a high-protein diet may suppress your appetite and lead to lower calorie intake. The carnivore diet may lead to rapid weight loss, which is generally considered unsafe. Typically, losing weight at a slower rate of no more than 1 to 2 pounds per week is considered safer and more effective.
Mood Boost: Can the Carnivore Diet Help Your Mental Health?
Proponents of the carnivore diet claim that following the diet may improve mood and mental health. According to one meta-analysis, meat consumers tend to have lower rates of depression and anxiety compared to people who do not eat meat (vegans and vegetarians). However, researchers do not clearly explain why meat consumption may impact mood. Plus, the studies included in the meta-analysis had some design flaws. Other studies have found potential benefits of low-carb diets on mood and anxiety disorders. These effects may be due to reductions in inflammation. However, evidence supporting the impact of low-carb diets on mood remains scarce and is primarily anecdotal, or based on individuals' experiences.
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Download DietAI Today for 80% Off!
Macros and micros are short for macronutrients and micronutrients. Macros are the nutrients your body needs in large quantities to thrive. The three main types of macronutrients are carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. All three play different roles in energy production, cellular repair, immune function, and more. Micros, or micronutrients, include vitamins and minerals. These beneficial compounds regulate myriad processes in the body and support several functions necessary for health and wellness. Unlike macronutrients, your body only needs micros in small amounts. However, they are equally as crucial as macros, especially for athletes, as they help optimize performance and recovery.
DietAI's Macro and Micro Breakdown
DietAI breaks down macros and micros so you can see how your food choices impact your health and goals. For example, suppose you’re following a carnivorous diet for weight loss. In that case, our app will help you understand how different cuts of meat and animal products will affect your body so that you can make informed decisions about your nutrition. The carnivore diet is rich in protein and fats and eliminates virtually all carbs.
This leads to a significant reduction in overall calories, which promotes fat loss. Tracking your macros on the carnivore diet will help you stay on course and reach your goals. For instance, some cuts of beef are higher in fat, while others are richer in protein. Depending on your body composition and goals, you should prioritize one. Using DietAI to track your macros will help you understand how different meat choices will affect your health and weight loss progress.
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